Allium plant named ‘Lavender Bubbles’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental onion plant named  Allium  ‘Lavender Bubbles’ compact habit, glaucous, upright, stiff, strap-like, flattened, gray-green foliage with slight longitudinal twisting and numerous, tightly-clustered, dark dusty-purple flowers forming in globose umbels.

Botanical classification: Allium hybrid (Linnaeus).

Variety denomination: ‘Lavender Bubbles’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)

The first public disclosure of the claimed plant, in the form of a photograph and brief description on a website operated by Walters Gardens, Inc. on Feb. 1, 2018. The claimed plant was first sold on Sep. 24, 2018 by Walters Gardens, Inc., who obtained the plant and all information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ have been sold in this country or anywhere in the world, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made, more than one year prior to the filing date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct ornamental onion, Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ was developed by the inventor at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA as the result of self-pollination of proprietary unreleased selection known as H9-09-01 (not patented) in August of 2011. Seeds from this pollination were collected in fall of 2011 and were sown later that same year. The plant was originally selected in the summer of 2013 and given the breeder code 11-1-1.

Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ has been successfully asexually propagated by garden bulb division method since 2013 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and found to be stable and produce identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics of the original plant through multiple generations.

SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ differs from its parents as well as all other ornamental onion known to the applicant. The most similar known Allium cultivars are ‘Medusa’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,701, ‘Blue Eddy’ (not patented), Allium tanguticum ‘Summer Beauty’ (not patented), and ‘Millenium’ (not patented). ‘Blue Eddy’ has shorter and more twisted leaves, flowers and overall habit and smaller flower globes and lighter colored flowers. ‘Summer Beauty’ has less glaucous foliage, lighter flowers in larger umbels and produces no seed. ‘Millenium’ has lighter purple flowers beginning about three weeks earlier than the new plant, and also has darker green leaves. The female parent has more twisted foliage than the new plant with lighter purple flowers.

Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ differs from these above cultivars and all unregistered cultivars known to the inventor in that it has:

-   -   1. Glaucous, upright, stiff, strap-like, flattened, gray-green         foliage with slight longitudinal twisting;     -   2. Compact habit, drought tolerant, rabbit and deer resistant,         medium-sized clumps;     -   3. Numerous, tightly-clustered, dark dusty-purple flowers         forming dense globose umbel;     -   4. Strong stems hold flowers heads upright through flowering and         seed production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the side-view habit of a three-year-old plant in early flowering.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the umbel with flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of a three-year-old plant in a trial garden of a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. under full sun with supplemental water and fertilizer as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Allium hybrid; -   Parentage: Self-pollination of H9-09-01, which is selection from the     cross between a proprietary seedling of ‘Millenium’ times a     different unnamed proprietary seedling selection of ‘Millenium’; -   Propagation method: By garden bulb division; -   Growth rate: Vigorous, flowering in 4 liter containers in about 12     weeks; -   Rooting habit: Fibrous from base of bulbs, lightly branching; color     nearest RHS 158C; -   Plant habit description: Dense clump of bulbs with sessile rosulate     foliage about 70.0 cm across and about 45.0 cm tall; flowering to     about 61.0 cm tall; -   Bulbs: Elongated conical shape; about 6.5 cm long and 1.5 cm     diameter at base; about 30 per plant; color nearest RHS 155D; -   Leaves: Sessile; linear; glaucous, glabrous dull surfaces;     semi-succulent; simple, margin entire; sharply acute apex, truncate     base; slightly twisted longitudinally 180°; mostly flat; about 45.0     cm long and about 12.0 mm diameter at base; arranged in two-ranked     tuffs from bulb; fragrance onion-scented; -   Leaf color: Mature and expanding leaves same; both surfaces nearest     RHS N138B distally with base nearest RHS 146D; -   Leaf venation: Parallel; color same as leaf abaxial and adaxial; -   Inflorescence: In terminal umbel; about 250 to 300 flowers per     inflorescence; about 31 inflorescences per plant; globose, about 9.0     cm across and about 8.5 cm tall; lasting about three weeks;     onion-like fragrance; beginning in mid to late-August in Michigan     and continuing for three weeks; -   Blooming habit: With upright globe in bud, remaining upright as     initial flowers open; one terminal umbel inflorescence per stem; -   Flowers: Campanulate; incomplete; perfect; with two sets of three     tepals, outer set smaller than inner; inferior ovary; actinomorphic;     upward and outwardly facing depending on position in umbel;     individually effective about four to six days; from base to exerted     stamens to about 12.0 mm long and about 7.0 mm across; -   Tepals (outer set): Ovate to deltoid; convex; glabrous; lustrous;     acute apex, fused truncate base; about 5.0 mm long and about 2.5 m     across; -   Tepal (inner set): Ovate to deltoid; flat; glabrous; lustrous; acute     apex, broadly acute base; about 6.5 mm long and about 3.0 mm across; -   Tepal color (inner and outer sets identical): Adaxial apex between     RHS N77B and RHS N77C, abaxial between RHS N77B and RHS N77D; -   Buds one day prior to opening: Globose to pyramidal, with three     flattened sides; rounded base, rounded apex; about 6.0 mm long and     about 5.0 mm diameter at widest point; Bud color: between RHS N77B     and N79D; -   Pedicel: Cylindrical; stiff, upward and outwardly facing depending     on orientation in umbel; glabrous; glaucous; about 19.0 mm long and     about 1.0 mm diameter; -   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 138A; -   Peduncle: Glabrous, glaucous; flattened trapezoid in cross-section;     about 60.0 cm long, base about 9.0 mm wide and about 7.0 mm thick; -   Peduncle color: Base nearest RHS N138D, upper region between RHS     N138B and RHS 189A; -   Gynoecium: Pistil single; to about 8.0 mm long;     -   -   Style.—Single, cylindrical, glabrous, about 2.5 long             expanding to 4.5 mm long and about 0.5 mm across when             mature; color initially nearest RHS 77D or lighter becoming             nearest RHS 77A.         -   Stigma.—Globose; about 0.2 mm across; color lighter than RHS             76D.         -   Ovary.—Distinctly tri-loculed; obcordate, widest at apex and             narrowest at base; about 3.0 mm long and 4.0 mm across at             acute apex and 3.0 mm across at truncate base; color nearest             RHS 77C at base. -   Androecium: Six; exserted to about 9.5 mm long;     -   -   Anther.—Oblong; about 2.0 mm long and about 0.7 mm wide;             basifixed; longitudinal; color between RHS 177A and RHS             N187B.         -   Filament.—Exserted; glabrous; cylindrical; about 8.0 mm long             and 1.0 mm at base; color nearest RHS 77A at apex and             lightening to nearest RHS NN155D at base.         -   Pollen.—Abundant; color nearest RHS 158B. -   Fruit: Tri-valved loculicidal capsule; about 6.0 mm long and 4.5 mm     across; typically dehiscing to within about 1.0 mm of base; one to     three seeded; color upon maturity nearest RHS 199D; -   Seed: Elliptic, flattened along one long side; about 2.5 mm long and     about 1.5 mm across; color nearest RHS 202A; -   Disease and pest resistance: Ornamental onions typically resist deer     and rabbit feeding. Resistance beyond that of other ornamental onion     has not been observed. Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ plant grows best     with good drainage and is able to tolerate some drought when     established. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 8. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental onion plant named Allium ‘Lavender Bubbles’ as herein described and illustrated. 